The Skull Of The Rhinoceros Is
Very Curiously Shaped; I Had Fired For The Temple, And Had Struck
The Exact Point At Which I Had Aimed, But, Instead Of Hitting The
Brain, The Bullet Had Smashed The Joint Of The Jaw, In Which It
Stuck Fast.
I never have been able to understand why that
powerful rifle was thus baffled, unless there had been some error
in the charge of powder.
This rhinoceros had no ears, they had
been bitten off close to the head by another of the same species,
while fighting; this mutilation is by no means uncommon.
From this point I traversed the country in all directions; upon
one occasion I took a large supply of water, and penetrated into
the very heart of the Base, half way between the Settite and the
river Gash or Mareb, near the base of the mountain chain; but,
although the redoubtable natives were occasionally seen, they
were as shy as wild animals, and we could not approach them.
Having explored the entire country, and enjoyed myself
thoroughly, I was now determined to pay our promised visit to Mek
Nimmur. Since our departure from the Egyptian territory, his
country had been invaded by a large force, according to orders
sent from the Governor-General of the Soudan. Mek Nimmur as usual
retreated to the mountains, but Mai Gubba and a number of his
villages were utterly destroyed by the Egyptians. He would, under
these circumstances, be doubly suspicious of strangers.
My camel-men had constantly brought me the news on their return
from Geera with corn,* and they considered that it was unsafe to
visit Mek Nimmur after his defeat, as he might believe me to be
a spy from the Egyptians; he was a great friend of Theodorus,
king of Abyssinia, and as at that time he was on good terms with
the English, I saw no reason to avoid his country.
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